Color-changing fountain



NOV. l, 1960 P M LONG 2,953,468

COLORCHANGING FOUNTAIN Filed Jan. 50, 1.959

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 C\2. PUMP WATEZ Suvmx* 1 2O lIl Ill INVENTOR. *PAUL M- LONG' Nov. l, 1960 P. M. LONG 2,958,468

COLOR-CHANGING FOUNTAIN Filed Jan. 30, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F'lefB INVENTOR. 'PAUL M. Lemme',I

ATTORNEYS nited States Patent iiice 2,958,468 Patented Nov. 1, 1960 2,958,468 COLOR-CHANGING FOUNTAIN Paul M. Long, 518 S. Railroad St., Palmyra, Pa. Filed Jan. 30, 1959, Ser. No. 790,204

3 Claims. (Cl. 239-40) 'I'his invention relates generally to the construction of water fountains, of the type found in public parks, etc., said fountains generally having a normally continuous discharge of water in an upward direction, with said discharge comprising a plurality of spray jets or thin streams, symmetrically arranged about the center of the fountain head, and arching upwardly and outwardly therefrom over a basin surrounding the head.

In many instances, it is desired to provide illumination of the fountain at night, and also coloring of the arching streams or sprays. This provides for a very attractive display, and the main object of the present invention is to provide an improved device for illuminating and coloring the jets or sprays of a fountain of the general type `described above.

A further object of importance is to provide an illuminating and coloring device for fountains, which will have an improved means for changing colors, so designed that following the tinging of the water discharge a certain color, said discharge will change in color, with the various colors following one another at predetermined intervals, to produce a highly attractive, eye-catching, illuminated display.

Still another object is to achieve the results set forth immediately above, while keeping the construction of ythe illuminating and color-changing means at an extremely low cost. To this end, the device is so designed that the complete illumination is achieved with only a single lamp bulb, and further, the coloring of the entire discharge of the fountain head is effected through the provision of a relatively small, extremely light color wheel having a particular structural and functional relationship to the lamp used for illumination purposes.

Another object is the provision of a color wheel adapted to be rotated without the requirement of electric motors, gearing, or other devices, the rotation being effected wholly by hydraulic propulsion, utilizing the water within the fountain.

Another object is to effect the rotational movement of the wheel by means of an exceedingly small amount of water, so as to divert to the wheel a completely inconsequential amount of the Water.

Still another object is to so design the wheel that rather than rotate at a continuous speed without stopping, said wheel will be caused to move only at predetermined intervals, whereby to change the color of the water discharge only at said intervals.

In this way, it is proposed to bathe the spray jets or streams in a particular color for a desired period of time, after which said color changes to another color, which is kept for an equal period of time, etc.

Still another object is to so design the hydraulic propulsion means for the wheel that it will be swiftly and easily adjustable, in a way to correspondingly adjust the length of the intervals between the rotational, step-bystep advancements of the wheel.

Still another object is to permit the adjustments described immediately above to be carried out independently of or in conjunction with adjustments that may be made in the fneness of the spray emanating from the fountain head, thereby to produce a wide range of combinations of colors and spray jets, to increase to a marked degree the over-all attractiveness of the fountain display.

Still another object is to provide a device of the character stated that will be characterized by the ease with which it may be installed in a fountain, and which will be further characterized by an inherent adaptability to operate with a minimum amount of trouble, over a long period of time despite its relatively low cost and ease of installation.

Still another object is to provide a device of the type stated that will be mountable in any of various types of fountains, including fountains of the re-circulatng type, fountains that are continuously supplied with fresh water, etc.

Other objects will appear from the following description, Ithe claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure l is a vertical sectional view taken diametrically through a fountain, the construction being illustrated diagrammatically in part, the fountain being provided with an illuminating and color-changing device according to the present invention, with said device being shown in side elevation;

Figure 2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view substantially on line 2-2 of Figure l, showing the illuminating and color-changing mechanism in top plan;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View, on the same scale as Figure 2, taken substantially on line 3-3 of Figure l;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view, on the same scale as Figure 2, taken substantially on line 4--4 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a partially exploded perspective view of the color wheel per se, on a scale above that of Figure l.

Referring to the drawings in detail, at lt) I have generally designated a fountain, of the type that will be usable on large estates, in public parks, in front of public buildings, etc. Such a fountain generally comprises a large diameter catch basin 12, which will be filled with water to a selected level, as for example that designated at W in Figure l.

Fixedly mounted within the basin 12 is a vertically upwardly extending, centrally disposed housing 14, which, in the illustrated example, but not necessarily, tapers slightly in an upward direction. Housing 14 is in continuous communication at its lower end with the surrounding portion of the basin f2, through the provision of a short length of pipe l5 providing a conduit. Accordingly, the level of water within the housing is the same as the level of Water in the part of the basin that surrounds the housing.

The housing 14 is formed open at its upper end, and at said upper end has an inwardly facing, shallow, circumferential lrecess 17 receiving the marginal portion of a horizontally disposed, circular, transparent top panel i8. This can be of clear glass or plastic.

As will presently appear, colored light is cast upwardly through the panel 18, in such a manner as to illuminate and color the various symmetrically arranged, upwardly outwardly arching jets that comprise the discharge D of the fountain head. Accordingly, although I have illustrated a wholly flat, plain top panel f8 by way of example, it is believed within the spirit of the invention that said panel could be of prismatic construction, so as to, in effect, bend light beams passing therethrough, casting them in any of various directions to increase, concentrate, specially shape, or otherwise design the area of illumination of the discharge D.

Designated at 20 is a fresh water supply pipe, which will extend from a suitable source of water under pressure, as for example, a city water supply. Exteriorly of the fountain, at any selected remote location, there can be provided a manually operable main valve 22, which would, of course, be used to completely shut off the flow of water to the fountain, for the purpose of cleaning, repairs, etc.

Normally, the valve 22 would be left open for an indefinite period, during regular operation of the fountain.

The line 2()` extends upwardly within the housing 14, and as shown in Figure 3, at its upper end is provided with an upwardly flaring valve seat 24, in which seats a plug valve 26 mounted upon one end of a float support arm 28, pivoted at 36 upon a bracket 31 extending outwardly from seat 24. A oat 32` is on the other end of the arm 28. As a result, it will be understood that normally the valveA 26 will be seated, preventing flow of fresh water into the fountain. However, whenever the water level drops below a predetermined elevation, the lowering of float 32 will cause unseating of valve 26, to admit fresh water until the water level has been restored. This provides for periodic replenishment of the water, required as a result of evaporation.

In the illustrated example, there is a water re-circulating means provided in the fountain, generally designated at 33 (see Figure l). This includes a pump 34 located exteriorly of the basin and housing, and connected to the output side of the pump is a riser 36 extending upwardly within vthe housing 14 adjacent the side wall of the housing. At its upper end, the riser has a lateral extension, extending to the center of the top portion of the housing. Mounted in upstanding position on the extension is a fountain head 38, disposed immediately above the top panel 18.

The fountain head can be, in and of itself, a conventional spray head used on fountains of the character illustrated. Accordingly, a detailed description of the fountain head need not be provided herein. It is sufficient to note that the head preferably is selected from one of the types designed to permit adjustment of the discharge D thereof.

All these variations, of course, are well within the skill of fountain designers, who can select any of various heads without loss of the benefits of the invention. For the purposes of the present application, it is mainly important to note that in a preferred embodiment, the head discharges upwardly, with a plurality of arching spray jets, the series of jets being concentric with the housing and being symmetrically related to the housing.

The jets, as will be readily understood, discharge into the basin surrounding the housing, and the water returns to the housing through pipe 16, being drawn out of the housing through a return pipe 40, provided at its upper end with a flaring cup 42 disposed within the housing. The return pipe goes to the intake side of the pump.

The general fountain construction described above, of course, is known, and is merely typical of one type of fountain with which the invention can be advantageously associated. Other fountains do not have a re-circulating system, and instead, have a continuously new supply of Water. The invention could be used to advantage with this type of fountain, as well as that illustrated.

The illuminating and color-changing device associated with the fountain illustrated has been generally designated at 43 in the several figures of the drawings. It includes a mounting bracket 44 (see Figure 4), which is clamped to the vertically extending portion of the riser 36, at any selected location along the height of the riser. Preferably, the bracket 44 is secured fixedly to the riser a short distance downwardly from the top panel 18.

The bracket includes a laterally projecting spindle 46 which is comparatively short in length, and which provides a support for a rotatable color wheel generally designated at 48. The color wheel 48 includes spaced, flat, circular end plates Sil, 52, respectively, having confronting, transversely aligned notches 54, 56 receiving the s1de portions of translucent, colored panels 58.

Referring to Figure 4, centrally mounted upon the inner face of the end plate 50 is a ball bearing 59, receiving the spindle 46. This provides for a rotatable mounting of the wheel upon the spindle, with the wheel being freely movable about the axis defined by the spindle.

In the illustrated example, there are six panels, and these would be formed of glass, plastic, or other suitable material. It is mainly important that the panels be translucent, and in a preferred arrangement, each panel would be colored differently from all the other panels.

The number of panels could, of course, be increased or decreased without departure from the spirit of the invention.

In the illustrated, preferred embodiment of the invention the wheel is of hexagonal configuration when viewed in cross section (note Figure 3 and Figure 5), so that adjacent panels have inside obtuse angles. One end 60 of each panel projects beyond the juncture of said panel with an adjacent panel, so that on the outside of the wheel there are defined angularly spaced pockets or traps 62, defining buckets of acute-angular cross section spaced about the wheel periphery, with the spacing of the buckets corresponding to the angular spacing of the panels SS. One wall of each pocket is defined by one panel, and the other wall is defined by an adjacent panel of a different color.

By reason of this arrangement, there will 4be one water pocket or -bucket faced upwardly, ata side of the wheel, in each position to which the wheel is to turn during use thereof. This will be seen lfrom Figure 3. Each time a bucket is faced upwardly, midway between the top and bottom of the wheel, there will be a panel 5S horizontally positioned at the top of the wheel, in vertical alignment with the head 38.

The drum is maintained in assembled condition by means of connecting bolts 63, which extend between the end plates at selected locations about the circumference of the wheel.

Designated at 64 (Figures l and 3) is an electric conductor, extending from a lsuitable source of electric power through a conduit 66 of pipe material. The conduit 66 extends through a large center opening 67 of end plate 52, `as shown in Figure 4, and within the wheel is provided with an upstanding `lamp socket 68 carrying a lamp bulb '70. The bulb 70` is vertically aligned with the fountain head, the horizontally positioned panel SS being interposed between the fountain head and the lamp bulb.

The conductor 64, conduit 66, and the lamp bulb and socket cooperate in defining an illuminating means generally designated at 73.

The wheel rotates by hydraulic propulsion. Accordingly, in the illustrated example there is a branch pipe 72 extending from the riser 36 (see Figure 3), at a location above the bracket `44. Branch pipe 72 terminates in a downwardly discharging nozzle 74, which is disposed directly above that bucket or pocket 62 that is faced upwardly at the side of the wheel (see Figure 3).

Only a very small amount of water need be discharged from the nozzle, and said discharge is, of course, continuous as long 'as the fountain is in operation. The discharge, in fact, could be at so slow a rate as to amount to little more than a drippage of water from the nozzle. Therefore, each bucket disposed below the nozzle fills comparatively slowly, so that the wheel remains stationary until the bucket has become filled to a predetermined extent. At this time, the weight of the water Within the bucket causes the wheel to slowly turn through an angular distance of 60 degrees. As a result, the next following bucket is disposed in position to receive the discharge from the'nozzle, and that bucket which was just filled empties its contents. The wheel, as a result, again remains Stationary, during the filling of said next following bucket.

This provides for step-by-step, or periodic rotational advancement of the wheel. mains horizontally positioned at the top of the wheel, for

Therefore, each panel 58 re-r a predetermined period of time, so that the discharge D of the fountain is illuminated with a particular color for said period of time. Then, as the wheel turns, the color gradually changes to that which is produced by the next following panel going into the stated horizontal position.

It may be noted that since each bucket has walls of dilferent colors, `and since said walls are in effect vertically spaced as they pass over the center point about which the wheel turns, there may be a momentary, iieeting tinging of the water discharge, of a color diiferent from the color of adjacent panels. Thus, if a yellow panel follows a blue panel, the walls of the bucket defined therebetween would be yellow and blue respectively, as a result of which there may be a fleeting tinging of the water with the color green as the bucket passes over center. This increases still more the lattractiveness of the device, as will be understood.

It will be readily seen that the device is exceedingly simple in construction, and can be manufactured at a very low cost. Further, installation of the device in fountains already in use is a simple matter, and does not involve modification or re-design of said fountains, except perhaps to a rather inconsequential extent, in some instances. Still further, the device is so designed as to be trouble-free in operation, and furthermore, is particularly designed to provide fora symmetrical coloring of the area within which the water discharge D emanates `from the fountain head. The device, in other words, is symmetrically arranged relative to the fountain head, with each horizontally positioned panel 58 being centered in respect to the lamp and to said fountain head.

Another characteristic of importance will be found in the means which I have provided for adjusting the speed of rotational movement of the wheel. Designated at 76 is a valve connected in the branch line, said valve having a non-circular stem adapted to mate with the complementarily formed inner end of an elongated operating handle 78. The handle 78 would be inserted only when the valve 76 is to be adjusted, and would ordinarily be removed, as will be evident from the dotted line showing of said handle in Figure 1.

The handle 78 is used to rotate the stem of valve 76 to a selected degree, `as a result of which the rate of flow from nozzle 74 is correspondingly adjusted. This, in turn, results in a selected adjustment of the speed of rotational movement of the wheel, that is, the adjustment results in a selected, adjusted setting of the length of time each panel 58 remains horizontally positioned.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specic construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends -any changes in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination, with a water fountain including a catch basin, a central, upwardly projecting housing within the basin, a riser, and a head mounted on said riser at the upper end of the housing and discharging in an upward direction, of a device for casting a colored light upon water discharged from the head, comprising: a spindle secured to and projecting laterally from said riser; a wheel mounted upon said spindle below the head for rotation about a horizontal axis, said wheel including a pair of end plates, a bearing on one of the end plates receiving said spindle to provide the rotatable mounting of the wheel upon the spindle, and a series of angularly spaced, translucent, colored panels connected between the end plates and mounted for movement in following order into a horizontal position spaced vertically downwardly from the head responsive to rotation of the wheel, ad-

jacent panels of the series being angularly related to each other, each panel projecting at one end beyond its juncture with an adjacent panel and cooperating therewith in forming a small pocket of acute-angular cross section between adjacent panels, thus to define on the wheel periphery a series of correspondingly angularly spaced water buckets; lamp means stationarily mounted within the housing, the other end plate having an aperture and the lamp means extending therethrough in position to direct light upwardly through each horizontally positioned panel, thus to illuminate and color the discharge from the head; and a branch line extending from said riser and discharging downwardly adjacent one side of the wheel in position to direct water into each bucket in succession, to rotate the wheel.

2. The combination, with a water fountain including a catch basin, a central, vertically upwardly projecting housing within the basin, a riser in the housing, and a head mounted on said riser in centered position at the upper end of the housing and having in concentric relation to the housing a symmetrical water discharge in an upward direction, of a device for casting a colored light upon water discharged from the head, comprising: a spindle secured to and projecting laterally from said riser; a wheel mounted upon said spindle below the head for rotation about a horizontal axis, said wheel including a pair of end plates, a bearing on one of the end plates receiving said spindle to provide the rotatable mounting of the wheel upon the spindle, and a series of angularly spaced, translucent, colored panels connected between the end plates and moving in following order into a horizontal position in vertical alignment with and spaced downwardly from the head responsive to rotation of the wheel, adjacent panels of the series being disposed in angular relation to each other, each panel projecting at one end beyond its juncture with an adjacent panel to form therewith a small lpocket of acute-angular cross section between adjacent panels, thus to define on the wheel periphery a series of correspondingly angularly spaced water buckets; lamp means stationarily mounted within the housing, the other end plate having an aperture and the lamp means extending therethrough in vertical alignment with the horizontally positioned panel, in position to direct light upwardly through said horizontally positioned panel in paths symmetrically related to the water discharge, thus to illuminate and color the water discharged from the head; and a branch line extending from said riser and discharging downwardly adjacent one side of the wheel in position to direct water into each bucket in succession, to rotate the wheel.

3. The combination, with a fountain including a catch basin, an upwardly projecting housing within the basin, a riser, and a head mounted on said riser, of a device for casting a colored light upon liquid discharged from the head, comprising: spindle means secured to the riser; a wheel rotatably mounted on the spindle, said wheel including a pair of plates, bearing means on one of said plates to provide the rotatable mounting of the wheel on said spindle, and a plurality of angularly disposed, translucent, colored panels secured to the plates, and mounted for movement into respective, light coloring positions spaced apart from the head, bucket means for each of the panels; illumination means mounted within the housing between the plates such that light is directed through each of said panels as it is moved to its light coloring position, thus to illuminate and color the discharge from the head; and a branch line extending from the riser and discharging adjacent said bucket means to direct water into said bucket means in succession, to rotate the wheel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,877,052 Scholl Mar. l0, 1959 

